In smart industries, the IO-Link protocol is usually standard. The advantages are many, partly you can program properties such as preset counter function and detection distance, but also via communication read in critical data about operating time, temperature and other factors that can affect the operation of a plant.

– Some use IO-Link to get diagnostics about the various components, which means that you can, for example, plan the maintenance before something breaks down. Others choose to use the flexibility of the protocol. The new IO-Link 1.1 enables, for example, cloning of sensor settings, which considerably simplifies the configuration of new sensors, says Fredrik Olsson, sales and marketing manager, Carlo Gavazzi.

Carlo Gavazzi already offers inductive and capacitive sensors for IO-Link. One of the company’s latest launches is a portable configurator, or programming device, for IO-Link. The product has been praised on the market and won first prize in the Automation Award 2019 in the category “Control Technology & System Solutions” thanks in part to its fast, simple and clear interface for being able to program IO-link sensors both on the bench and in the field without a PC .

Carlo Gavazzi plans to launch several new products in the future, including more series of inductive sensors, photocells in miniature format and ultrasonic sensors. Jens Hansson, Product Manager at Carlo Gavazzi;

– Our upcoming robust E1-approved sensors for vehicle applications have the right properties to be reliably integrated in various types of mobile work machines, such as detection of connections between vehicles and trailers, crane and garbage trucks, trucks and the like.

Another novelty is that our compact, durable and popular miniature photocells, PD30 series, are now also released in IO-Link design, which enables a number of new smart functions, such as programmable distance and hysteresis, fully configurable outputs and external input, detection of speed and length, pattern recognition and detection of deviations as well as logging functions such as operating hours, temperatures and much more! Read more here!

– A big advantage is, for example, if you need to replace a defective sensor, when installing a new sensor, it automatically gets exactly the same properties as the old one, Jens Hansson continues.

– IO-Link offers great opportunities to secure the future of its smart equipment. We are continuously expanding our range with innovative and niche products, where the ambition is to provide more opportunities for 4.0 industries and future automation solutions, concludes Fredrik Olsson.